Books On Screen

December's Books on Screen roundup includes the feature films Mortal Engines, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Mary Poppins Returns and Aquaman; the film release of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and the debut of "Watership Down" on Netflix; the ongoing series "Black Lightning," "The Flash" and "Arrow" on The CW; and the DVD releases ofThe Miseducation of Cameron Post, I Still See You, Unbroken: Path to Redemption, The House with a Clock in its Walls, Venom, Little Women.

Adult Books You Want to Read

Throughout the year, Teenreads.com features adult books from Bookreporter.com, our site for adult readers, that we think will have definite appeal to a teen audience. In the spirit of sharing, we are now spotlighting a selection of titles each month from Bookreporter.com that we believe are great reads that you might enjoy.Explore our picks here!

Latest Reviews

Zae is over relationships. Between getting cheated on by the only guy she’s ever loved and watching her parents' marriage crumble, she decides to turn the tables and go after what she wants, and what she wants are kisses. Zae proposes a contest with her friends to see who can kiss the most boys during spring break. But what starts as a harmless competition leads to a downward spiral of drama. Zae is forced to face the reasons behind her boy angst and starts to wonder if she was wrong about the male race...or at least some of them.

When Lady Katherine's father is killed for being an illegally practicing Catholic, she discovers treason wasn't the only secret he's been hiding: he was also involved in a murder plot against the reigning Queen Elizabeth I. With nothing left to lose, Katherine disguises herself as a boy and travels to London to fulfill her father's mission, and to take it one step further --- kill the queen herself. Katherine's opportunity comes in the form of William Shakespeare's newest play, which is to be performed in front of Her Majesty. But what she doesn't know is that the play is not just a play.

Pondering math problems is Esther Ainsworth’s obsession. If only life’s puzzles required logic. Her stepfather’s solution? Avoidance. He’s exiled the family to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to erase a big secret from Esther’s past. Here are the consequences: an empty swimming pool, a water-sucking cactus outside her window, a goldfish rescued from a church festival, and Esther’s thirst for something real. Step one: forget about her first love. Step two: make allies. Esther meets a girl named Color who finds beauty in an abandoned video store; Beth, the church choir outcast; and Moss, a boy with alluring possibilities. Step three: confess her secret to those she hopes she can trust. Together, Esther and her friends hit the road to face Esther’s past head-on. It’s a journey that will lead her to embrace her own truth --- in all its glory, pain, and awesomeness.

With her empathic powers gone, Sonya can no longer protect her beloved Anton from his vindictive brother Valko, who will stop at nothing to get his revenge and reclaim his throne. Even if that means using an Auraseer to hunt both Sonya and Anton. Then Sonya hears about an empath in a far-off kingdom who may be able to heal her, but without her powers, finding the legendary Auraseer will be dangerous. And if she doesn’t succeed, the peace Sonya sacrificed so much to achieve will be shattered forever.

Who cares that the prize for the Sun City Originals contest is fifteen grand? Not Dia, that’s for sure. Because Dia knows that without a band, she hasn’t got a shot at winning. Because ever since Hanna’s drinking took over her life, Dia and Jules haven’t been in it. And because ever since Hanna left --- well, there hasn’t been a band. It used to be the three of them, Dia, Jules, and Hanna, messing around and making music and planning for the future. But that was then, and this is now --- and now means a baby, a failed relationship, a stint in rehab, all kinds of off beats that have interrupted the rhythm of their friendship.

Lindley has been the leader of the space station Lusca since every first generation crew member on board, including her mother, was killed by a deadly virus. Lindley assumed she’d captain the Lusca one day, but she never thought that day would come so soon or that it would involve struggling to survive , learning how to keep the Lusca running, figuring out how to communicate with Earth and making sure they don’t run out of food. When a member of the second generation dies from what seems like the deadly virus, Lindley must face the terrifying reality that either the virus has mutated, or one of their own is a killer.

Stella needs to keep herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. Soon, he’ll turn 18 and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world. Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

After Saul’s strike on Oslo, the Effigies’ reputation is in shambles. Now they’re being hunted by nations across the globe. With Maia’s resurrected twin, June, carrying out vicious attacks across the world, everyone believes Maia is a killer. Belle has gone rogue, Chae Rin and Lake have disappeared and the Sect is being dismantled and replaced by a terrifying new world order helmed by Blackwell. As for Saul, his ultimate plan still remains a mystery. It’s all somehow connected. But if the Effigies can’t put the pieces together soon, there may not be much left of the world they’ve fought so desperately to save.

For most, living in Colma amongst the cemeteries is a quiet affair. But for Luke Cressman this proximity to death has brought with it an inescapable consequence. Like all first born members of the Cressman family, Luke witnesses the death of everyone he touches. It's a secret he carries with him after every interaction --- a hug, a handshake, even bumping into a stranger on the sidewalk --- and he's yanked into a vision of that person's particular fate. Some are violent, others are tame, but having spent most of his life with this power, Luke has grown accustomed to the images.That is, until he meets Mia.

The Huntresses of Artemis must obey two rules: never disobey the goddess and never fall in love. After being rescued from a harrowing life as an Oracle of Delphi, Kahina is glad to be a part of the Hunt; living among a group of female warriors gives her a chance to reclaim her strength. But when a routine mission goes awry, Kahina breaks the first rule in order to save the legendary huntress Atalanta.

Solid world-building is a must for any high-stakes fantasy and part of the task is avoiding harmful stereotypes. Erica Cameron, author of The Ryogan Chronicles, stopped by our blog this week to talk...